Car-coupling.



'PATENTED JAN. 6, 1.903. E. FABIAN & F. WIDMARK. I

GAR COUPLING.

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81 M .arromzn ms PETERS ca. PNOTO-LITHD wnsnm NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWII\ FABIAN AND FREDRIK WIDMARK, OF STQPAUL, MINNESOTA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 717,664, dated January 6, 1903.

Application filed April 4,1902.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, EDWIN FABIANand FREDRIK WIDMARK, citizens of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invent ed certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in car-couplings, and has for its object the providing of improved means for keeping the draw-head and draw-bar of a coupling normally in a central position. This object we attain by the novel construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a sectional front view of a drawbar at the point where it rests on the stirrup of the car, with stirrup and adjacent timbers shown. Fig. 2 is a top View of the stirrup or lowest piece in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a modification of Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are modifications of the antifriction-roller used in the stirrup.

Referring to the drawings by reference-nu; morals, 1 is the draw-bar of the coupling. It is provided in its under side with a longitudinal groove 39, resting upon an antifrictionroller 38, mounted in a cavity 36 of a stirrup 35, suitably secured to the timbers 7O 71 of the car and provided with openings 37 in the bottom of its cavity for the escape of flying snow, rain, and sand. In heavy freight-car couplings we prefer to let the roller 38 rest upon a V-shaped or centrally downwardbulged bottom of the cavity 36; but we may also, especially for lighter cars, make the roller with trunnions, like 72 in Fig. 4, and place them in suitable bearings 7 3 in the stirrup; or, as a further modification, the trunnions may be flat, as at 72 in Fig. 5, and formed of the ends of a shaft '74:, on which the roller revolves. In using this shaft the fiattened ends are dropped edgewise down into Serial No. 101,351. (No model.)

the notches 73 in the stirrup and remain in that position until the shaft becomes considerably worn by the roller on the upper side. Then the shaft may be turned upside down and placed again in the notches until the other side is also worn out of shape, when a new shaft is substituted. If ever through any accident the shaft or roller,or both,should get lost, or it should become necessary to use a common draw-bar on said stirrup, it will be seen that the stirrup, being straight at its up per edges, will serve as well as any ordinary stirrup until roller and the proper draw-bar may be again provided, and when provided it will be understood that the arrangement set forth keeps the draw-bar in central position with perfect ease and certainty and with a minimum friction.

The practical application of this draw-bar support to couplings will be found more fully set forth and claimed in our application filed February 2, 1902, Serial No. 95,002.

We are aware that prior to our invention draw-bars have been made with a bottom guide, which, although of great crudeness and friction, prevent us from claiminga bottom guide broadly; but

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a car-coupling the combination with a draw-head or body of the coupling having a longitudinal inverted-V-shaped groove in its under side, of a stirrup adapted to support the coupling, said stirrup consi ting o a horizontal bar straight at its top and provided in the middle with a pocket or cavity having a bottom inclining from both sides toward the middle of the bar, an antifrictionroller guided in said pocket, resting on its doubly-inclined bottom and supporting the coupling.

2. In a car-coupling the combination with a draw-head or body of the coupling having a longitudinal inVerted-V-shaped groove in its under side, of a stirrup adapted to support the coupling, said stirrup consisting of a horizontal bar straight at its top and pro- ICO roller guided in said pocket, resting on its hold the coupling central against accidental doubly-inclined bottom and supporting the side motion.

coupling, and perforations in the bottom of In testimony whereof we affix our signasaid pocket, substantially as and for the purtures in presence of two Witnesses.

5 pose set forth.

3. A car-coupling having an antifriction- ARK.

roller interposed between its under side and the stirrup supporting it, and a central lon- Witnesses: v gitudinal groove in the bottom side of the A. M. OARLSEN, 1o coupling, adapted to rest on the roller and D. E. OARLSEN. 

